Wednesday, 8 April 2009

Wednesday links

Clark Judge follows up his article yesterday regarding the Seahawks and Michael Crabtree with a new mock draft. He maintains that if Crabtree is on the board, the Seahawks have to take him. "Seahawks could take a QB or OT, but how do you pass on Crabtree if he's here?"

Marshall Faulk believes the Seahawks should consider drafting a running back early on. "Players like "Beanie" Wells or Knowshon Moreno could immediately impact a weaker roster, despite having limited roles. They're the types of players who could come off the bench for a few selective carries a game, but could also help move the chains as a featured back if needed. There is value there."

Rob Rang has some interesting news regarding the draft stock of Chris 'Beanie' Wells and Brian Orakpo. Rang reports that Wells could be moving up draft boards, drawing comparisons to Larry Johnson. On the other hand, interest may be declining in Texas defensive end Orakpo. "I've spoken to scouts who operate for teams using the 4-3 and 3-4 alignments and each club is souring on the Longhorn pass-rusher."

Danny O'Neil says an interview between the Seahawks and Michael Oher at the scouting combine didn't go too well. The Ole Miss offensive lineman hasn't really been in the debate to go fourth overall, so I wouldn't read too much into this.

10 comments:

Patrick
said...

I read Clark Judge's mock draft earlier and his #1-9 fall exactly like my ideal situation. Although I find it unlikely, I also liked how he had Knoshon Moreno going to the Jets (Just keep him away from Arizona!). I have to admit Moreno would be my #2 for Seattle after Crabtree.

Hey Rob. Do you think Marshall Faulk kind of made an argument against himself in his explanation for the Seahawks taking either Wells or Moreno? Saying things like "...type of player that could come off the bench for a few selective carries a game, but could also help move the chains as a featured back if needed." You can't use the 4th round pick on someone that COULD come off the bench for a few selective carries (seems as if he's describing this as the ceiling for either of these RBs). I feel in any draft there are at least 4 elite players that can make a few pro bowls (obviously there are usually a lot more), and the Seahawks have to do all they can to properly evaluate this class and hopefully get someone of that caliber with this pick. Faulk seems to be describing what a team should look for in a 3rd-round pick, not the 4th overall. If we hope to return to prominence, we can't afford to miss with our 1st round pick like we have too often with Ruskell at the helm. It's not often you get a chance to add a young superstar to your roster. I just hope if the Seahawks evaluation of Wells and Moreno are equal to Faulk's we look elsewhere.

I'm sure you've seen that small interview going around that had Walter Jones discuss his injury and it didn't seem overly positive. What do you think this means? My first reaction was that it was just making Eugene Monroe look more and more (sigh) like our pick, but then I realized that it just means we should at one point during the draft consider an OL. Maybe 2nd round? With such a high pick, it's practically a first rounder. Also, according to WalterFootball, they believe we are 66% likely to pick Crabtree. I LOVE that opinion. But then they discuss the possibility of dropping Branch as an result. Do you think that's likely? I really want Crabtree, but Branch is my favorite player and he ended last year on such a high note. Besides, part of the allure of Crabtree was that combined with him, Branch, and Houshmandzadeh, we had an amazing and elite receiving core. Without Branch, it's just not the same

Judge is a moron with no credibility in regards to matters of the draft. The paragraph he spent reeling off Crabtree's college stats and using them to conclude that he's "the best receiver out there" is the picture of ignorance. If Crabtree is truly the best out there, let's look at the receiver and the translatability of his skill set to the pros, not his stats.

Chris - well noticed! As you say, I think the Seahawks are looking for more than someone who 'comes off the bench' every now and again with the fourth overall pick.

Patrick - I don't think Jones' interview means the team are any more likely to draft Eugene Monroe. Simply put, he isn't a great scheme fit. It's easy to look at Jones' age and the fact the offensive line aren't doing well at camp (apparently) and believe they'll just throw down a $60m contract to someone who doesn't fit in with what the team wants to do. If they want to deploy a ZBS, run the ball more... then Monroe isn't your man.

I'm currently participating in a mock draft involving representatives from all 32 teams. We're at round three and I managed to get Alex Mack and Troy Kropog with my second and third picks. The Seahawks don't need to spend $60m on Eugene Monroe to improve the offensive line.

"Michael Crabtree," said one pro scout, "is a big, strong guy who can play. Plus, he's a good kid. He's had a lot of exposure in a passing offense, and he's a strong-handed guy who plays as fast as he times. He's not going to run away from you, but he has exceptional quickness. He's a big-time player who will make a good pro."

Notice there wasn't anything in there about Crabtree as a risk. That's because it wasn't mentioned. In fact, when I brought up his injury and his size (he's 6-feet-1/2;, not 6-3) the scout scoffed at the idea, saying neither was a concern. Bottom line, he told me, this is the best wide receiver out there and one of the top prospects at his position in years. ---Nano

I haven't been able to figure out why the regard for Orakpo is so high, considering that he might not make much impact as a rookie. You have a guy who's made many plays in college based on physical attributes and high effort, but doesn't have many moves and lacks the great first step, so he'll need some transition time.

On the mocks, Gosselin has said in the past that he does his *final* mock well (not the mocks before it) because he freely admits he knows nothing about scouting and therefore doesn't add any personal opinions on what should happen. He just does a better job than everyone else at the journalism part of querying league contacts on who each team will take. So if there's convincing info that the Lions will draft Mike Williams at #10, then Mayock might brush that off as lunacy and stick someone else there, but Gosselin would put Williams in his mock. Judge seems to be in the Gosselin mold, a journalist only with no football background, whose final mock the day before the draft is based on he heard through the grapevine.

I guess that's a long-winded way of saying that I like Crabtree, and I would be quite pleased if the Seahawks took him even if it's not a must, but Judge's opinion won't sway me either way.

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